Diri Baba Mausoleum

Diri Baba mausoleum stands in a square located on a cliff. The building is two-storeyed. The first storey has a hall, which has a passageway to an octahedral cupola from a small vestibule. Stairs leading to the hall of the second store have been carved on the cliff. A spherical cupola with a pointed top has squinches decorated with plant ornaments.

According to legend, a saint named Diri Baba (living, immortal old man) was buried here and remained incorrupt for a long time.

Many legends and mystical details are associated with the mausoleum, already from the 17th century. it attracts many pilgrims and travelers, as well as scholars who seek to unravel its mystery. Travelers in their notes give a description of the carved frieze between the tiers, tromps decorated with a stylized floral ornament with interlacing calligraphic inscriptions, etc.

There is a unique monument – a two-storeyed mausoleum-mosque of the 15th century called “Diri-Baba”, located opposite an ancient cemetery – on the way from Baku to Shamakhi. For a long time, local residents believed in a legend that a sacred person called Diri Baba was buried here and remained imperishable. However, many legends and mystic events are related to this monument. That is why the mausoleum attracts many pilgrims and curious people since the 17th century. Peculiarity of the construction is that it was embed in the cliff by the architect. Allegedly it is “hanging” alienated from the ground. The mausoleum delights with austerity of its architecture, purity of lines, bright and smooth surface of its walls against the background of the rough and dark cliff, and it is also distinguished by its grandeur. It is notable that, not the first, but the second store is considered the main part of the building.